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Preaching Daily - October 6

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Galatians 3:10

Today's Preaching Insight...

Let stories do their job

In a recent issue of Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox newsletter, storyteller Steven James encourages preachers to "Trust the story to do its work. In nearly every book on public speaking and preaching I've read I see the same advice: ‘Tell ‘em what you're gonna say. Say it. Then tell ‘em what you said.'

"That might be a good way to teach someone how to bake a casserole, but it sure stinks when it comes to telling a good story. Maybe that's why Jesus never did it. Not once. Instead, he spoke in metaphor, story, and imagery that appealed to curiosity and imagination. He didn't preach three-point sermons, he preached one-point sermons - and most of the time he didn't even tell people what that point was!

"Jesus rarely explained his stories, in fact only once in Scripture are we told specifically why Jesus told a story (Luke 18:1), and only a couple of his story explanations appear. Jesus trusted his stories to do their work in the hearts of the people listening. This leads us to one of the great paradoxes of education: The more you explain a story the less impact it has. Think about it. Haven't you heard someone use a great illustration and then spend the next 30 minutes draining all of the impact out of it? We end up diminishing rather than expanding the impact of a story by explaining to people what we think it is supposed to mean."

Today's Extra...

This Week's Laugh: Don't Talk, Just Play

Here are some quotes from athletes and coaches that might have been better left unsaid:

* New Orleans Saint RB George Rogers when asked about the upcoming season..."I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first."
* "Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein." - Football commentator and former player Joe Theismann 1996
* "You guys line up alphabetically by height." - Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach
* "You guys pair up in groups of three, then line up in a circle." - Bill Peterson, a Florida State football coach
* Boxing promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson hooking up again with promoter Don King - "Why would anyone expect him to come out smarter? He went to prison for three years, not Princeton."
* Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece - "I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to."
* Shaquille O'Neal, on his lack of championships - "I've won at every level, except college and pro."
* 1982 - Chuck Nevitt, North Carolina State basketball player, explaining to Coach Jim Valvano why he appeared nervous at practice - "My sister's expecting a baby, and I don't know if I'm going to be an uncle or an aunt."
* 1991 - Steve Spurrier, Florida football coach, telling Gator fans that a fire at Auburn's football dorm had destroyed 20 books - "But the real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet."
* 1996 - Lincoln Kennedy, Oakland Raiders tackle, on his decision not to vote - "I was going to write myself in, but I was afraid I'd get shot."
* 1991 - Torrin Polk, University of Houston receiver, on his coach, John Jenkins - "He treats us like men. He lets us wear earrings."
* 1987 - Shelby Metcalf, basketball coach at Texas A&M, recounting what he told a player who received four F's and one D - "Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject."
* 1991 - Frank Layden, Utah Jazz president, on a former player - "I told him, 'Son, what is it with you. Is it ignorance or apathy?' He said, 'Coach, I don't know and I don't care.'"
(from The Daily Dilly)